This article is the first in a series looking at the possible hazards of leaving the roof on your home unprotected and not maintained, discovering how to find and choose a roofing contractor to repair or replace your roof and the steps you need to take to protect your roof in the future. This article is targeted at homeowners in the Coventry and Warwickshire area, but the same principles apply wherever you live. There are plenty of roofing contractors in and around Coventry and it is not always easy to pick the right roofing contractor for you.

One of the most important ways to protect your home is to keep your roof safe and secure. Without maintaining a good roof then you are permitting the fabric of your home to deteriorate and allowing the weather - rain, snow, harsh sunlight and wind to penetrate your home, potentially causing damage to your ceilings, your walls and the contents of your home. This will not only make the environment of your home a worse place to live but also it will reduce the value of your home, putting you in a weaker position if you ever want to put the home for sale on the market

If you have a damaged roof you may see evidence of this in damp stains in your ceilings. Part of your roof may be sagging. Parts of your roof may be covered in fungus. The accumulation of dirt on your roof may result in moisture being retained in the dirt, giving fungus an opportunity to grow. Some damage may be even more obvious - missing tiles which allow the water to seep into your home.

A roof also tends to have particular areas which are especially vulnerable. These are where the roof connects to other features of the house such as chimneys, pipes, dormer windows. These connections are usually protected by lead flashing and it is in these connections where problems most commonly arise.

If you think you have a problem with your roof the next thing to do is work out whether you need your roof repaired or whether you need a whole new roof. You can't necessarily make that decision for yourself as most people do not have the expertise, experience or knowledge to make that judgement. Besides it can be dangerous for an untrained person to be messing about on a roof. You need a roofing contractor.

So how do you choose a roofing contractor from the whole multitude of roofing contractors in and around Coventry? A roof replacement or a roof repair is a substantial investment and you don't want to pick somebody who is going to rip you off. So how do you find the right roofing contractor for you. One of the best ways to start is to ask your friends, neighbours, colleagues at work whether they have direct first hand experience of roofing contractors whom they could trust and whom they would recommend.

You could also get some ideas from the internet. There are lots of roofing companies with websites on the internet and you can find a lot of information about some of them, such as whether they have been in business for a long time or are relative newcomers. Are they part of a national company or are they a local company? Many sites have lots of information about types of tiles and other materials that are available. This will be helpful for you when you discuss your roof with specific roofing contractors as you will be able to put forward your own ideas about what precisely should be done.

A word of warning. Do not just pick a roofing contractor with the glossiest website. You need to put some key questions to specific roofing contractors to make sure you are not ripped off. The next article will look at what questions to ask and what information to get.